Low power consumption, and thus long battery life, is critical to the success of next-generation ad-hoc wireless devices. Many ad-hoc devices transmit with such low power, that their receivers actually consume more power than do their transmitters. Further, the receivers of these devices are often active more than their transmitters, exacerbating the energy consumption problem. Due to the typical high frequency of operation (2.4 GHz) and the need to use radio frequency (RF) complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuit (IC) processes to reduce cost and increase integration, the RF front end of the receiver typically consumes the most power. Reduction of this power is very desirable. Therefore, a need exists for a method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in a wireless receiver's RF front end.